LA schools invest $44 million in computer reading program

Elizabeth B. Guerard, Associate Editor

September 1st, 2001

In the wake of the Bush administration’s vow to improve literacy at the earliest grade levels, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is turning to technology to help its elementary students learn to read.

LAUSD on July 19 announced that 244 of its 427 elementary schools will receive the Waterford Early Reading Program, an individualized computer reading program school officials say has been proven effective in helping students learn to read.

District officials say they hope the $44 million project, encompassing hardware, software, and training, will help bridge the gap in student learning and improve reading in the early grades.

“This is a major commitment to change in this district,” said Superintendent Roy Romer. “It is like putting a turbo-charger on a car engine: We are going to accelerate reading performance in kindergarten and first grade.”

The Waterford Early Reading Program combines computerized multimedia reading instruction–featuring animated characters that teach basic phonics and more advanced reading comprehension–with more traditional student and teacher materials, such as books and videos.

The program’s price tag includes some fairly sophisticated hardware, explained Karen Merman, instructional technology applications facilitator for the Waterford project. Each participating classroom will be given a three-computer station, consisting of a teacher station and two student stations.

“Some of these elementary schools still have Apple IIes, so this is quite an update,” she said. “For these schools, this is an incredible change.”

The Waterford system supports reading in the classroom by working “essentially [as] a one-on-one tutor,” said district spokeswoman Hilda Ramirez.

The program was designed to integrate seamlessly into kindergarten through second-grade classes during the two hours allotted for language arts by the LAUSD literacy plan.

Ramirez said a typical school day with the Waterford program would find the children sitting with their teacher going over a reading lesson at reading time. At the back of each classroom sits a printer and three computers, outfitted with headsets, microphones, and Waterford software.

During reading time, each kindergarten-age child gets 15 minutes per day to work on the computer. That time is increased to 30 minutes per day for first- and second-graders.

Once students have completed their sessions, the Waterford program shows them the name and photo of a classmate, and they just go over, tap that student on the shoulder, and rejoin the lesson. That way, the teacher never has to stop class for individual tutoring sessions.

The program tracks individual student progress, so teachers can get immediate feedback on each student’s specific problems.

“The lessons complement what goes on … in class,” said Ramirez. “It’s great, because we have a high percentage of English-language learners. [The program] models good academic language, it’s animated and fun, but [students] are learning the whole time.”

To reinforce reading skills at home, each kindergarten student will receive a collection of four videotapes and 52 books encompassing rhymes, the alphabet, and other lessons to take home. “With our enrollment, often these books are the only books in the home,” said Ramirez.

“Now our classrooms are taking the lead in closing the digital divide,” added school board President Caprice Young. “With Waterford, advanced kids can work ahead, and kids who are behind can catch up quickly.”

District officials say Waterford already has been proven effective in the city’s schools. In the past year, the program has been used in more than 400 of LAUSD’s second-grade Intensive Academic Support classrooms (for students who were held back) and in a few schools that are part of a state “Reading Alliance.”

Schools that have reading scores below the 45th percentile on the Stanford 9 test and a high percentage of English-language learners enrolled in the first grade will receive the Waterford program this year.

District officials expect to have the software installed in all participating schools this month. Funding for the project has come from various grants and state education department funding.